A 2-1 overtime game in the pre-season is not exactly what Ike Howard has in mind when he’s trying to impress the new coach.

But give the young guy credit. He muddled through a low-event pre-season game just like everyone else, and didn’t make a play that cost his team. In the end, the Oilers won on Viljami Marjala’s overtime winner, and Howard will likely get another chance to play in a game that better suits his style down the road.

“It was just a gritty game. There wasn't a ton of chances either way. I think we just stuck with it,” said Howard, who was plus-1 with no shots over 17-plus minutes of ice time. “I didn't think there was a ton going on that game. It was just a simple game.”

He may not have had a chance to impress Mike Babcock a whole lot in a game where the shots were 23-18 for the Winnipeg Jets. But he didn’t disappoint him either by forcing something that just wasn’t there in a snoozer of a pre-season tilt.

“When you're used to playing in a different league and you have the puck all the time — then you get out here and you never get the puck — for young guys, it can be frustrating,” Babcock said. “Then you........

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